Rail device.



A H. LOWE.

RAIL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 17. I911.

Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

P n amm mm A. H. LOWE.

RAIL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 001217.191].

1, 146,888., Patented July 20, 1915.

X 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- l/VMMMQ nnrrnn srnrEs PATENT UFFTQE.

ARTHUR H. LOWE, OF CARTER, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO JAMES B.

SNYDER, OF WATAUGA, TENNESSEE.

RAIL DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July 20, 1915.

To all whom itmay concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. Lown, a citizen of the United States, residin at Carter, in the county of Carter and gtate of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in switches for railway rails.

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to provide a railway switch which dispenses withthe employment of frogs and of the needle edges of the switch members, and which also includes novel and effective means for swinging rail sections toward each other and for maintaining them in their said swung position.

With the above recited objects, and others of a similar nature-in view, the invention re sides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a switch constructed in accord ance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional'view upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section upon the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section upon the line 4-4; of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section upon the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged top plan view of the sliding wedge and its connections.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates the main line, and 2 the side track.

The numeral 3 designates a turning rail which is centrally provided with a depending lug 7 the extending portion of the said lug being threaded to receive a nut 8 and the threaded portion being formed with a suitable openingto receive a cotter pin 9. The rail 3 is positioned upon a longitudinally extending plate 10, and the plate 10 is provided withan opening through which the lug 7 of the turning rail extends. The said lug may also project" within an opening provided in one of the ties 11. The turning rail 3 is normally arranged in register with the inner rail members of the main track line. Passing through suitable openings provided in the web of the turning rail 3, near the opposite ends of the rail, are rods 12 and 13. Each of these rods has its extremity provided with a head a, which is arranged to one side of the web of the turning rail, and each of the rods is further provided with a stop 5, which is arranged] to the opposite side of the web of said turning rail 3. The rods 12 and 13 pass beneath the outer rail of the main track, and have their ends pivotally connected with bell crank levers 14, the said bell crank levers being in turn pivotally secured to two of the ties, as indicated by the numerals 15. The bell crank levers are also connected with a longitudinally extending rod 16, the same being mounted for slidable movement in bearings 17 which are connected with the ties adjacent the outer face of the rails of the main line. The inner rail 18 of the side track 2 is provided with an extending stop 19, the same being preferably provided with a base flange that is secured to the plate 10, and which is adapted to be contacted by one end of the turning rail 3, when the said rail is swung into alinement with the rail 18.

The numeral 21 designatesawedge shaped member which is arranged between the adjacent faces of the rail section 18 of the side track, and the rail extension 22 of the main line 1. This wedge shaped member is provided with an extending stem 23, the same being mounted ina brace 24 which is secured between the rail sections 18 and 21. Arranged at the end of the rail 22 is a stop 20 which is adapted to contact with the Web of the turning rail 3 to retain the rail 3 in alinement with the rail 22 when the turning rail is swung toward the said rail 22. The numeral 25 designates a helical spring which surrounds the stem 23, and forces the wedge shaped member 21 tightly between the rail sections 18 and 22.

The numeral 26 designates a toothed wheel which is pivotally mounted as at 27 upon the plate 10, and meshing with this wheel is a toothed segment 28 which is pivoted as at 29 to the said plate 10 and which is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 30, the latter being connected with a rod 31which inturn is loosely connected with a bell crank lever 32, the latter being pivoted as at 33 to one of the ties and also secured to the longitudinally extending rod 16 as indicated by the numeral 34. When the rod 16is actuated it will be noted that the bell crank lever 32 will be first operated as will hereinafter be described to rotate the segment which, meshing with the toothed wheel 26, will retract the stem 23 and will force the cam shaped member 21 from out ofthe path of the turning rail 3. The bell crank levers 14 may be swung'to move the rods 12 and 13 to permit of the portions between-the heads and the stops 7) playing through the openings in the web of the turning rail to provide for the lost motion necessary to permit of the wedge member being operated, before the head a of the rod 12 and the stop Z) of the rod 13 are brought into engagement with the opposite sides of the turning rail to move the said rail to engagement with the stop 19.

In order to sustain the opposite end of the turning rail 3 in register with the rail sections of either of the side or main lines, I arrange upon the plate 10 a second slidable wedgeshaped member 35, of a similar construction to the wedge member 21, the said member 35 being provided with a rearwardly extending stem which passes through an opening in a brace 40, a spring 39 being arranged upon the stem between the wedge-member 35 and the bridge 40, while the outer end of the stem is pivotally connected adjacent the periphery of a pivoted toothed wheel 41 that meshes with the teeth of a segment 42. The segment is provided with a pivoted extension which has loosely connected thereto a rod 43 which extends laterally of the track between two of the ties and is connected with a pivoted bell crank lever 44, the said lever being in turn pivotally connected with the operating rod 16. The wedge member 35 is arranged between a track section 60 of the main line and a side rail section 36, and through the medium of the spring 38 the said wedge is normally moved into, engaging position with one of the opposite faces of the turning rail 3. The wedge 35 is operated simultaneously with the wedge 21, the lost motion provided by the rods 12 and 13 permitting the movement of said wedges before the turning rail is operated. The rail 60 has at its outer end, a stop member 37 which is adapted to engage with the outer face of the turning rail 3 diametrically opposite the edge or end engaged by the stop 20, when the turning rail is in register with the rail sections 22 and 60, while arranged at the end of the rail section 36 and upon the inner face thereof, is a stop 38 which is adapted'to engage with the inner face of the end of the turning rail when the said rail is contacted by the stop 19, and the rail 3 registers with the rails 18 and 36.

Arranged upon the ties adj acent the switch 10 is a plate 45, the ends of the rail sections 36 and 60 resting upon the said plate. The plate also provides a bearing for the shifting rail ends 47 and 48 of the main line section, while also having their terminals'arranged upon the said plate 45 are the outer rail 46 of the side track and the inner rail 49 of the main track. Arranged'upon the plate 45 arelbracket members 50 and 66 which are adapted to form contacts for the rail sections 48 and 47 to retain thesaid sections in proper register with the rails 49 and 60 of the main line, the said rails 49 and 60 being fixed, as are the rails 36 and 46 of the side line. A wedge 53 is arranged for slidable movement between the rails 49 and 36, the said wedge normally engaging with the inner face or web of the rail section 48. This wedge and its connections are similar to those previously described, the same havinga stem whichpasses through an opening in a bridge and arranged upon the stem and exerting a tensionbetween the bridge and the wedge is a spring 54. The end of the spring is pivotally connected, as at 55, away from the center of a pivoted toothed wheel 56, and the teeth of the said wheel 56 co act with the teeth of a segment 57. The segment is provided with a stem which is connected with a rod 58, the said rod having one of itsends pivotally connected with a bell crank lever 59 that is pivoted to one of the ties and having its second arm pivotally connected with the operating rod 16. The rod 58 has its free extremity connected with the'stem 61 of a toothed segment which engages with the teeth of a wheel 62, the said wheel being pivoted upon the plate 45 between the track sections 60 and 46. A wedge member isprovidedwhich is slidably movable between the rail sections 60 and 46 and adapted to contact with the rail section 47. This wedge member islprovided with a longitudinally extendingstem which passesthrough an opening in a bridge and which is pivotally connected, as at 63, to the toothed wheel 62, a spring being arranged between the bridge and the wedge. The wedge members 64 and 53 are adapted to be actuated in a retractingdirection simultaneously with the wedge members 21 and 35 when the rod 16 is moved longitudinally in a mannerwhich will'nowbe described. The shifting rails have'their ends 47 and 48 connected through the 'medii'im of a rod'or bar 67, and the rail 48 is connected with a stem 70, the rod 16 being also connected to the said switch stand through the medium of a bell crank lever 69. The rod 7 O which connects the switch stand with the rail 48 passes through an opening in the web of the said'raihithe end of the rod bein' provided with a head 0 which is arrange upon the inner face of the saidrail 48 and the said rod. being further provided with a stop or collar D which is spaced from the head C and arranged adjacent the outer face of the rail' 48. By this arrangement it will be noted that the rodwill be "permitted a certain and desired movement before the rail is contacted by either the head or the iSO stop, so that the movement of said rod 70 will not interfere with the actuation of the wedge members to retract the same so that the wedge members 53 and 64 will have moved away from contact with the rails 48 and at before the rails are moved by the switch stand to bring their ends out of register with the rail sections 49 and 60 and into register with the rails 36 and 46. A bracket or stop member 52 is arranged at the end of the rail 36 to form a contact for engaging with the rail 48 to halt the same when in register with the rail 36, while stop brackets 65 are provided to engage with the outer side of the rail section 47 to halt the same when in register with the rail 46.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such inventions appertain without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is In a device for the purpose set forth, the

combination with main and siding rails,

of a pivotally mounted rail section adapted to be positioned to complete the line of either the main or the siding rails, means comprising wedge blocks arranged between the main and siding rails and slidably arranged to contact with the opposite sides of the turning rail to sustain the said turning rail in alinement with either the main or siding rail, said blocks having longitudinally extending stems, a toothed wheel eccentrically connected with each of the stems, a toothed segment co-acting with each of the toothed wheels, and means for actuating the segments to move the blocks into or out of contact with the opposite sides of the turning rail, and means for swinging the turning rail to bring the same into alinement with either the main or side rails after the wedge blocks have been brought out of contact with the said turning rail.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. LOWE.

Witnesses HENRY LowE, ETHER CULBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. G. 

